01.Chip Delivery Times Shrank Rapidly in October as Supply Crunch Subsides
Chip delivery times shrank by six days in October, the biggest drop since 2016, adding evidence that demand for electronic components is falling off quickly.
Lead times — the gap between when a chip is ordered and when it is delivered — averaged 25.5 weeks in the period, according to research by Susquehanna Financial Group.
All major product areas are now available more quickly than they were and 70% of the companies surveyed by Susquehanna say they’re able to supply chips more swiftly, analyst Christopher Rolland said in a research note.
02.GF cuts operating expenses, announces layoffs, hiring freeze
According to reliable sources,Globalfoundries is making plans and notifying employees that it will lay off staff and implement a recruitment freeze to reduce annual operating expenses by $200 million (about 6.2 billion Taiwan dollars).
A GlobalFoundries spokesman confirmed the matter, but declined to disclose the exact number of layoffs.
The spokesman added that GF's third-quarter financial report was strong and its fourth-quarter forecast was solid, but based on the current general economic environment, it was seeking cost control.
03.Nexperia acquires Dutch semiconductor company Nowi
Nexperia Semiconductor, a subsidiary of Wingtech Technology, issued a press release announcing that it had completed the acquisition of Nowi, a Dutch semiconductor company, on November 11, 2022.
Nowi was established in 2016. Its main products are energy harvesting power management chips. Its chips can effectively manage the weak energy collected from the environment and provide IoT sensors, electronic tags, smart bracelets and other scenarios. energy support.
According to reports, Nowi’s PMIC combines an ultra-small PCB package, ultra-low BOM cost, and excellent average acquisition performance. With Nexperia’s manufacturing capabilities and its strong global infrastructure, Nowi is able to accelerate the production process of these solutions and quickly enable larger-scale production and shipping in late 2022 and early 2023.
04.TSMC plans to build another new fab in the US
According to industry sources, TSMC plans to invest in another fab in Arizona, with a total investment of about $12 billion.
TSMC plans to announce in the coming months that it will build an advanced semiconductor factory north of Phoenix,next to another chip factory TSMC is just building, the sources said.
In July, TSMC announced the completion of the construction of a 5nm factory in Arizona, USA, with the goal of achieving mass production in 2024. It is worth mentioning that the plant was expected to have a monthly production capacity of 20,000 pieces, but now the supply chain says that capacity will increase by 10% to 22,000 pieces.
The source also revealed that TSMC's new factory will produce 3-nanometer process chips, which are currently the smallest and fastest chips that can be manufactured in the world.
05.Nvidia Devises a New Chip for China That Passes U.S. Export Controls
With the U.S. looking to hobble China's semiconductor industry and in turn its military by cutting off the country from AI circuitry and advanced equipment used to manufacture them, Nvidia's marquee moneymaker was also suddenly looking shaky.
However, according to a report from Reuters, Nvidia quickly drew up plans for a new chip that passes U.S. export controls for the Chinese market.
06.Auto chip IDMs still unlikely to get big extra foundry capacities in 2023
According to Digitimes,Automotive chip IDMs and first-tier components suppliers are set to negotiate capacity supply and manufacturing quotes for 2023 with their foundry partners in Taiwan, but it may not be easy for them to secure as sufficient capacity support as they expect.
Switching foundry capacity to make automotive chips comes with a significant increase in foundry costs as they have to complete a complex and time-consuming series of vehicle safety tests and specification verification before making the capacity switch, the sources said. Therefore, foundries are unlikely to convert much capacity for automotive chips in the short term.
07.Memory IC distributors see inventory pressure start easing
Memory IC distributors, which were under intense pressure to offload inventories in the third quarter of 2022, have seen inventory pressure start easing in the fourth quarter, according to industry sources.